Hotel HL Club Playa Blanca — Hotel in Yaiza

HL Club Playa Blanca||When booking this 6 night holiday I found many decent reviews of this hotel however as the departure date got nearer I joined a Playa Blanca Facebook Group and found some scathing reviews and became worried. I needn’t have been. I didn’t arrive expecting a five star hotel for 3/4 star money and that’s why I am not disappointed. I don’t think the quality or variety of the food is the be all or end all of my stay and I don’t think expect to get gourmet dining.||So here are my thoughts good and bad..|The outside front of the hotel could do with a little spruce up, it is after the very first impression you get. However the reception is nice and the staff are welcoming and friendly, they provided key pieces of information about getting about, potential excursions and about the hotel itself. Having the extra charges for the in room safe and in room WiFi is a little annoying when at cheaper hotels I have stayed in this has been included. |Our room was a two bedroomed ‘bungalow’ near the front of the property, easily accessible with our cases. I do think if you were a little weary and arriving late dragging luggage to some of the bungalows more higher up properties could be a pain but fortunately not a problem for us. The bungalow was clean, and whilst a tad basic it had all we needed - a place to sit(inside and outside), a kettle, a fridge somewhere to sleep and plenty of wardrobe space. Only one of the bedrooms had aircon though which for a March/April wasn’t a problem but could be a problem later into the season. Shower was a decent size although the water pressure could have been better. Housekeeping was so so - the room was kept spotlessly clean but the bed making was a little haphazard as was towel replacement. Beds are a bit hard and Bed covers consist of a single sheet a bedspread which provided much exasperation throughout the week - again in cheaper hotels I have had a thin duvet the slight extra weight of which prevents the continual battles that the sheet and bedspread provide. |The property itself is well laid out and consists of a main building housing reception and modern well appointed gym on the same level as the accommodation and then on the lower level the building holds the buffet, a bar (with virtual fireplace playing on a TV on the wall lol) and the ‘theatre’ where the nightly entertainment takes place. This level also has the two main pools, a pool bar, a mini supermarket, a paddling pool and a play area for the really tiny guests. The pool is a lovely size and effectively split into 2 with the smaller one seemingly being slightly heated. There is a jacuzzi but it is at most heated to the same as the smaller pool so is not a traditional jacuzzi. There are plenty of beds and room around the pool. Pool towels are rented and can be changed twice per week for cleaner ones. The hotel seemed pretty busy so I am not sure how much busier it could be but if the capacity of the accommodation was much more the pool area could possibly find it difficult to cope later in the season but as I say it could have been full anyway and it was fine. My main gripe about the pool is there is no accessible way in and out of it - if you have difficulties using pool steps (metal narrow ones you pull yourself out on) then this could be a major problem- a nice shallow walk in area would be a serious improvement, how would a disabled guest cope? |The pool bar serves snacks and lunch as well as ice cream throughout the day. All inclusive soft drinks are serve yourself whereas friendly bar staff serve nicer cocktails and top shelf drinks at ok prices. |Throughout the day the entertainment (animacion) staff announce a few activities such as table tennis, yoga, snooker etc and on one day they did all dance by the pool but they didn’t engage with everyone as much as I would have expected… a water aerobics session for example would have been fun for those taking part and for those who watch around the sides. |The evening entertainment however was mostly a delight, the team are funny, silly, warm and try hard. The movie quiz night being the unexpected highlight resulting in myself and my aunt laughing more than we had in quite a while. I would have liked to have seen more of the team but evenings with them were ‘interrupted’ by evenings with outside acts such as a guitarist or a dance troupe.. not that they weren’t good but the entertainment team were such a delight you wanted more. |So the food… the dining room is spacious and light and most importantly to me .. clean and the waiters and waitresses work hard to keep it that way and are friendly and keen to remove dirty plates and cups (maybe too keen on one occasion but we forgave then and became a little joke between us and the staff). The restaurant has themed nights which can be a little misleading and frustrating.. for example at lunch one day they had a chicken paella, but hat night was Spanish night so surely there would be paella then so we waited - no paella on Spanish night!!! and then spring rolls on Indian night lol. |Much of the food tasted very nice but my main complaint would be that the temperature of the food was inadequate and really lets it down. None of it is held under warming lights which would be such an easy fix. Also some chicken dishes were extremely dry and didn’t look great. The ‘live stations’ also weren’t that lively and what they were serving up just wasn’t replenished enough. My other annoyance was that on 2 occasions I retrieve a glass of 7up zero only to taste it when I got back to my seat to find it was as either soda water or carbonated water without the 7up flavour being mixed into it. They were some nice touches though - the choices of breads was good and each morning there would be honeycomb dripping fresh honey into a bowl for spreading on toast if they tickled your fancy. |Overall the food does let the place down a bit but not enough for me to condemn the whole hotel. |The location is a bit out of the way from the main parts of Playa Blanca but it’s quiet so that can also be a plus. There is a free coach to the Beach and water park though only 2 departures and returns a day but taxis are pretty cheap and if you like a walk then it’s all within reasonable distance. |My overriding thoughts on HL Club Playa Blanca are that it’s clean, well laid out, the staff are friendly and helpful, has good amenities and I would thoroughly recommend it if this is where your budget...

We were a group of 5. 2 x adults 2 x 16yr olds and a 7yr old. We wanted 2 bedroom all inclusive accommodation and hot weather for the October half term. We looked at various holidays companies and locations and this holiday for 7 nights was coming out about £2000 cheaper than other holidays matching our requirements in Cyprus or Tenerife. So we booked with Jet 2 and had the added bonus of flights being from a very local airport rather than Bristol or Gatwick.||After booking we did start seeing some negative reviews and did wonder if we’d made a mistake but decided to go with it and keep an open mind and I’m so pleased we did. ||The accommodation isn’t luxury but it’s perfectly standard. Our 2 bedroom bungalow was plenty big enough with an outside patio area, fridge, kettle, cups and glasses but gave the older kids and us some privacy unlike other resorts where we are all in one room. Beds were comfy and made up every day. Ok so the towels aren’t a colour I would choose but I can see why they have chosen this colour for practical reasons. We had enough towels during the week, bins were emptied and floors mopped over. There was a very powerful hairdryer in the bathroom and a tv which picked up Netflix and you tube. The cleaners are quite early so I wonder if the reviews about rooms not being cleaned are because of that. You pay extra for the safe and WiFi per device for your room but there is also free WiFi in reception. There is a large airer for hanging things outside - wish I’d taken some small pegs!!||The restaurant was really nice in our opinion. Let’s face it all inclusive in Europe for the most part is canteen style catering for the masses. We’ve stayed at a few all inclusives over the years and this was one of the better ones. My kids are quite fussy eaters but really enjoyed the food and found plenty to eat. |There was always lots of choices of meats - roast beef, chicken, veal and one night there was steaks being cooked. My son really enjoyed the fish and there are always lots of various salads and vegetables. They have themes nights - on the Asian night we had freshly made sushi as we watched them making it and it was lovely!! Also Thai rolls, spring rolls, pad Thai. There were usually varying pasta dishes, paellas and stroganoffs. An Indian themed night with pakoras, popadums, tandoori chicken, pumpkin curry and curried pork. But for anyone who can’t find anything to eat amongst that there is always pizza, chips and a kids alternative. ||Breakfast always had a lot of choice - cooked options, cereals, breads, pastries and fruits. Sometimes the juice and coffee machines are temperamental.||Desserts are usually cakes or pannecottas but there are also 4 ice cream choices. I wasn’t too keen on the white wine or sangria in the restaurant but did like the red wine option. ||With regards to food being hot - they’re not serving your food the minute you walk through the door! Sometimes as trays are replaced they’re steaming hot but other dishes may have been out longer so may not be quite so hot. But to say the food is never warm seemed unfair in my opinion. ||I think if you’re not going to be satisfied with food being served up in a canteen style either because of the choice or temperature then maybe you need to pay more and book somewhere else but for us it was great!! ||My daughter loved being at the pool. The staff wash the floors down daily and I think because of the volcanic soil this is why the beds were reviewed as being dirty. We weren’t particularly bothered by some water splashes on the beds and always managed to find a set of 4 or 5 beds even with it being half term. The hotel offer towels for hire - €15 deposit per towel but you can change it twice for clean towels and get your deposit back at the end of the week. Inflatables are allowed and although the water is a little chilly once you’re in you soon warm up. As for the pool toilets being disgusting I can’t say I agreed…yes they get wet because people are walking in and out dripping wet. I would say wear your fliflops but other than that they are perfectly fine. ||Entertainment in the evening is on a budget but they do some dances with the kids, one night we had an acrobat style show, another night they had some guests doing a bit of karaoke and our last night was a music quiz. I think it’s what you make of it - with a few drinks and no expectation we had quite a laugh - again I think it’s what you make of it. ||We walked to the Dino waterpark one morning - we had a nice enough time and did all the rides. There were sufficient rides for both the 16yr olds and the 7yr old - it may not be the best waterpark in the resort but it’s a fraction of the price and entertained us for a few hours one morning. We didn’t use the hotel bus. ||Drinks wise we usually went for either Amstel, Pina colada, tequila sunrise or peach snaps and lemonade. Think there was also cava as an option. But there was a good selection of varying spirits and my kids were fine with the fizzy options. ||I personally think keep your expectations realistic for the rating and price and hopefully you like us will be very happy with your holiday. We had a...

Nothing beats arriving from an International flight to be advised that your room won't be available for an hour. You're hot, tired and irritable. It's not a great start, but it was suggested that we have some lunch and our room would be ready after that.

So, returning to reception after lunch I have keys thrust at me; okay, there's a number of check-ins at the same time so I can understand the hurry to get rid of me. Then I get told there's no porter available to help with the luggage. I am left standing in reception with luggage for five people with the idea that I should just drag it all there myself. I appreciate this isn't a five star hotel, but I would have reasonably expected some sort of assistance (even if I had to pay for it).

So, I spend the next 20 minutes or so dragging bags to the room. Not the end of the world, but not the start you want to a holiday.

I return to reception to ask for towels for the pool. Apparently there aren't any. Another irritation, but we'll manage with the towels from the room.

Then the free WiFi in reception isn't working and the paid WiFi is slow and unreliable (seriously, paying for WiFi in 2017? Surely you want people Instagramming the hell out of your hotel.). It then proceeds to log you out at random intervals, making it of barely any use but for skim reading websites (heaven forbid you might want to download something...)

I then start to look at the room (well, actually a two bedroom bungalow). It seems alright, but the living room is small (but expected to act as a third bedroom) but the other rooms are reasonably proportioned. However, as I start to look closer, I find a litany of maintenance issues; vents hanging off the wall, the shower head is in such bad condition that the various settings are just variants of "dribble". A fair portion of the furniture is low end IKEA and not well maintained. Tiles are damaged, the bath rail (nominally to help get in and out of the bath) is coming away from the wall and various lights don't work. The salad drawer in the fridge is broken an the panel on the front of the circuit breakers doesn't fit correctly.

It's clear that there have been remedial works done however, which is obvious from the poor filling and plaster work patching up after moving light fittings. It is, however, clean and tidy.

The air conditioning is pleasing and the site is well maintained, especially bearing in mind the inherent difficulties in regards to water Lanzarote has.

The pool also looks lovely, but when you look more closely, is poorly maintained. Intakes and overflows are cracked and broken, which is worrying around the kids pool.

Food is perfectly reasonable; decent quality and good selection (including local dishes) as opposed to the more expected fish fingers and chips which can often haunt lower end all inclusive breaks. Everything is well labelled with allergy warnings and advice on vegetarian dishes, which is a great help. Empty plates are whisked away swiftly and there's plenty of limitless drinks, including wine and beer.

Small onsite shop with other things available at reception - due to most of the water coming from the desalination plant (worth seeing as it's amazing how they do it!) bottled water is a must - it's €1.50 a bottle so not gougingly expensive and, when combined with the all inclusive deal, not unreasonable.

In addition to main meals, there are snacks available poolside all day. These are very much from the McDonald's school of catering, but still an adequate way to tide kids over.

Overall, the hotel is adequate. There is nothing outstanding (and clearly quite a few problems). Whilst these are things I might complain about, they're not really going to affect the holiday as a whole (although I'm dreading having to carry the cases back again...) There are lots of things that would improve this hotel (the WiFi situation is killing me) but it's not pretending to be nothing other than somewhere to take the...